Manual for External Monitoring of Fortified Maize Flour - A2Z: The ...

MANUAL FOR EXTERNAL MONITORING OF FORTIFIED MAIZE FLOUR(Technical Auditing and Inspection)Technical auditing and inspection activities are carried out at maize mills as part of the enforcement activities performed by the governmentin order to ensure that fortified maize flour meets the nutrient quality and safety specifications established in regulations. During the technicalaudits, the performance of quality assurance and quality control activities conducted by the producer is examined. The conformity of thefortified food with technical specifications is determined through sampling and chemical analysis of flour samples collected from the factory.Samples of premix are also taken to verify the validity of the Certificate of Analysis (COA) provided by the supplier.This manual presents steps for carrying out technical auditing and inspection in maize mills. The Food Control Authority in the country isresponsible for carrying out the auditing and inspection activities of fortified foods, in coordination with other government bodies involvedin the enforcement of food fortification regulations.Since technical audits are based on checking the producer’s records, the objectives which are measured by indicators and criteria ofsuccess are based on similar objectives used for the QA/QC system. The manual also describes the people responsible for each stage.As any enforcement procedure carried out by a government body, the warnings and legal actions to be taken when non-compliance occursshould be defined and applied where necessary.Results of auditing and inspection activities should be consolidated twice a year in order to determine the degree of success in fulfilling thefortification goals identify obstacles to overcome and propose actions to be taken. It is recommended that an annual report be prepared andpublished where data from this external monitoring is presented graphically to describe the status of the maize flour fortification programin the country, along with information from other food control or surveillance activities.The sections included in this manual are:• Planning inspection visits• Technical auditing and inspection visits• Inspection by corroborating trials1 of 13